Let’s say you’re in seventh grade, and your English teacher tells the class that you’ll be reading a book called The Wednesday Wars, which takes place in 1968. Before your teacher says anything more, he passes out books to everyone, and you dive right into chapter 1. As you continue to read further into the book, you start reading about Robert Kennedy, the Vietnam War, and Jesse Owens— none of which you are familiar with. It seems as though your teacher just expects you to know about these people and events. But you’re only a seventh grader, born in 2012, and you’ve never heard any of these names before. You feel lost as your teacher continues to read, unsure of why these people and events even matter in the book. Soon, you’ve tuned out the book entirely, disinterested and confused.
One simple thing could have changed the outcome here: background knowledge. Had the teacher planned ahead and set aside one day to teach the class about the people and events in the book, there would have been a whole lot less confusion, and likely more interest in the book.
It’s like trying to teach a unit on genetics without first explaining what cells, chromosomes, and DNA are. Or trying to explain how to properly develop a photo in the dark room without first explaining how to effectively use aperture and shutter speed or how to expose your photo onto your photo paper. Imagine your PE teacher telling you to get into groups and to go play a game of lacrosse without first teaching you what equipment you need, how to use that equipment, and how to play the game. The result in any of these scenarios would be chaos and confusion.
Background knowledge can make a world of a difference for students. Having some kind of foundational knowledge does a few things: it piques student interest in the topic, helps them learn correct terminology and vocabulary about the topic, and gives them a sound foundation to learn from. All of these aspects are important for creating a positive learning experience. When students can connect what they already know to what they are learning, the information is more likely to be retained. These connections can also help students to establish a deeper understanding of the topic.
Sure, taking time to teach background information can seem “boring”, but making time for it will always be worth the time and effort. You actually end up putting yourself ahead a little bit because you won’t have to pause instruction in the middle of a unit to teach all the vocabulary and other background information. You set yourself and your students up for success when you take the time to set up a topic before diving into it.
Sometimes as adults, we forget that our students aren’t always equipped with the knowledge necessary for further learning in a topic, or we assume that they should already know more than they do. We need to remember, though, that we have more experience and have had more time learning than our young students. Remember this can help us to slow down and take the time to provide scaffolding for our students as we begin new units and topics of study.
Teaching background knowledge doesn’t have to be a huge, fancy lesson. Sometimes all it takes is an anticipation guide, KWL chart, or vocabulary review to set up new material and gear students up for new learning.
However you choose to do it, just make sure you do it. Your future self will thank you, and your students will be much more engaged in their learning if they aren’t spending their time being confused and frustrated that they don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve got to spend time going backwards so you can make more progress forward!